I'm not thinking about getting another bike for a while. I'm happy with what I have (I might upgrade some components at some point) and it goes as fast as I can make it go. I'm just wondering at what point did people decided that a $2000 bike was worth it. This is more a philosophical question. I was quite in shock when I wandered in to the bike shop for the first time and saw that MOST bikes are in the $1500 range. There were more $2000+ bikes in the store than $400 bikes. I went cheap because 1) I don't have that kind of money to spend on a bike, and 2) I didn't know if I would enjoy it and didn't want to drop a ton on a bike I didn't like to ride.

I have a buddy who is an avid rider. I told him I was interested in getting in to the sport and asked about bikes. He said that I should expect to spend $1500-2000 right off the bat if I wanted anything decent.